Vietnam and Japan have elevated their cooperation to a broad and deep strategic partnership, especially in economic cooperation. Today, this strong relationship is being further promoted for more substantive and comprehensive development in all fields by both countries. In response to the call for business cooperation from the governments of Vietnam and Japan, FLC Group wants to expand comprehensive business cooperation with Japanese companies on the principle of respect - equality - mutual benefit. This is also the central content of a conversation between the FLC Group Deputy CEO Tran Thi My Lan and Vietnam Business Forum ahead of Vietnam - Japan Economic Forum 2015. Anh Dao reports.
FLC is said to have very close cooperation with many Japanese companies in many different sectors. Could you please briefly introduce trade and investment cooperation ties between FLC and Japanese partners?
Japan has the most comprehensive and deepest relations with Vietnam now. You easily recognise this by looking at frequency and results of visits and working meetings between leaders of the two countries. Most recently, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong paid an official visit to Japan. Economically, the bilateral cooperation is represented by the presence of Japanese investors, businesses, visitors, brands and products in Vietnam or by the fast-growing investment value and trade turnover between the two nations in recent years. Currently, Japan is not only the largest ODA donor for Vietnam but also the second largest FDI investor in Vietnam with US$37.7 billion (as of June 2015).
Japan’s economic and cultural achievements and the trustworthiness of Japanese people are always admired and appreciated in Vietnam. FLC Group has close cooperation with many Japanese companies in the past years and we see Japan as a strategic market where we will focus resources and priorities in the coming time. Most recently, September 2015, in his meeting with FLC Group, Japan Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E. Hiroshi Fukada expressed his appreciation and support for FLC in developing and connecting economic cooperation with Japanese companies in FLC Group’s core strengths like vacation property, housing complex, trade centre or industrial park in Vietnam.
At present, FLC has many big projects across Vietnam with a total investment value of nearly US$2 billion. The Group fetched US$100 million of revenue and US$24.8 million of profit in the first six months of 2015. FLC shares are among the most liquid on the Vietnamese stock market.
FLC regularly welcomes Japanese companies to visit its projects and explore cooperation opportunities in real estate, high-tech agriculture, health, education, trade and other fields. We also advise and support Japanese companies seeking investment, including investment information, sequence of legal procedures and investment environment. At the same time, FLC has also sent many missions to Japan to explore cooperation and investment opportunities. For sure, FLC has a very strong magnet to Japanese companies and vice versa.
Reportedly, FLC sees Japanese companies as its top-tier partners because of their capacity, experience and corporate culture. So, would you talk about cooperation achievements with Japanese partners in the past time?
In the real estate sector, we are promoting cooperation with Japanese partners to design, build and operate FLC Tam Duong Industrial Park 2 (200 ha) in Vinh Phuc province and FLC Hoang Long Industrial Park (186 ha) in Thanh Hoa province. Two industrial zones are built to catch the new wave of investment flows redirected from other countries to Vietnam by foreign firms, including Japanese. Our premium ecological resorts, 5-star hotels, 18-hole golf courses, villas and helicopter tours like FLC Samson Beach & Golf Resort (Thanh Hoa) and FLC Quynhon Beach & Golf Resort (Binh Dinh) very much interest Japanese investors.
FLC Group’s member companies have also forged close cooperation ties with Japanese companies, like Nippon Soda, Kumiai Chemical Industry and Nihon Noyaku, in plant protection chemical import and distribution. Recently, Seirei, a community healthcare group in Japan, paid a working visit to FLC to discus cooperation in nursing.
In vocational training and human resources development, we cooperate with JBM Cooperative, KRS, Tomotekuno and other firms. Every year, we have sent hundreds of students to Japan to acquire know-how in construction, agriculture, food processing, engineering and other fields. This helps trainees to enrich knowledge, experience and expertise to bargain for higher pays with their employers. After completing three years of apprenticeship in Japan, trainees will be given priority to work for FLC Group.
To enhance strategic comprehensive business ties with Japanese partners, what fields will FLC focus investment on in the coming time?
Recently, vacation property projects, industrial parks and urban areas invested by FLC have drawn the interest of FDI investors, including Japanese. Typical projects include Tam Duong Industrial Park 2, FLC Hoang Long Industrial Park, FLC Twin Tower, FLC 36 Pham Hung, and FLC Garden City in Hanoi together a variety of projects across the country.
From this successful platform, with a strategy of strengthening comprehensive business cooperation relations with Japan, FLC is currently looking for potential investors of real estate, agriculture, high- tech, healthcare, education and trade. In healthcare field, FLC is working Japanese partners to invest in a world-standard general hospital in Hanoi.
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On October 4 at the National Convention Centre (Hanoi), FLC Group was presented the Top 10 Corporate Social Responsibility Company Award and the Top 100 Vietnam Gold Star Award 2015. These prestigious awards evidence the company’s efforts, dedications and achievements in production and business activities and community contributions.
The awards also stimulate all the staff of FLC to make continued efforts for stronger development to meet expectations of shareholders in particular and the community and the country at large |
Besides, FLC Group has completed necessary procedures for a 1,000-ha smart agriculture project in Lam Son Plantation in Thanh Hoa province, which is expected to be kicked off in 2016. Japan is a high-tech agricultural powerhouse of the world and we are very keen on its agricultural technologies, particularly from Ibaraki Prefecture - the capital of Japanese agricultural science. We think that applying high tech and scientific and technological progress of Japan to agricultural production is a right decision to meet current and future market demands.
With its rich experience in investment consulting and working with many foreign investors, does FLC have any recommendations to the Government and other central authorities to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of Vietnamese investment environment?
When we work with foreign investors, we find out that they all appreciate Vietnam’s potential and care about investment incentives, administrative procedure reform efforts. Hence, we hope that the Government and other central authorities to speed up administrative procedure reform, and actively support and facilitate investors.
As you may know well, one of the reasons why FLC Group invests a lot in Thanh Hoa and Binh Dinh is the assurance of local governments for shortened time for settling procedures and for timely support. And, in fact, the enthusiastic support of local governments has ensured the speedy progress of FLC-invested projects there.
On the occasion of Vietnam - Japan Economic Forum 2015, does FLC have any message to Japan partners and investors?
Like typical Japanese companies, FLC Group sees prestige as the core value of the company. This is also an important factor that makes the value of Japanese brands. Because of these similarities, FLC Group always welcomes Japanese businesses and investors to cooperate with us, thus not only creating added value for the society but also contributing actively to the common goal of consolidating and developing good relations between the two countries and the two peoples.
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